1503 : ” New Destination” Project

Participants: 30 students of NTU hall 12; 5 Vietnamese volunteers and a member of ECO Vietnam Group.

Achievements:

– Kindergaten building,

– English Teaching

– 5 poor houses visit

– Cultural Night

Feelings about project:

Tears

This time in EVG project, I bursted out into tears sooner than my expectation. During the 3 very first days of the project, I couldn’t hold it in and cried while being in the middle of the Reflection Night with Sing team. Change in living place, change in living condition lead to change in the spirit of the whole team. I was “bombed” about the heat in the village, the mosquitos and bathing condition. That was the time I couldn’t answer the basic question to myself: Why I’m here? To server people in the village or to server S-team members? And answers came to the time when I feel most disappointed, while hearing about the lessons S-team members had learned for those past 3 days. And when an S-team member mentioned about “taking things for granted” in Singapore, that was the tik tak my heart raced so soft and my eyes couldn’t hold my teares any longer. With the same living condition, teachers and kids in the village still live happily but we complaint too much and disturbed others too much.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think I can forget this project”

In a very normal night like others, an S-team member vormitted under the tree, which was an opening for the session so called “hopital time” of the project. There were two more members fell into sick in the next day, so I and S-team leader accomapied those three into the hospital and came back with lists of drugs. Next was the “hospital days” of quite-the-number members of the project, and one member had the happy birthday greetings inside the ambulance. iSOS transefered at night must be counted as the peek of “hospital time” of this project. At the end of the project, while giving a gift for S-team leader with the memo note: “Just a small gift so that you can remember you did have a trip like this to VietNam in your youth”, and we were surprised with his reply “Don’t worry, I don’t think I can forget this project”

V-team members: It takes much effort to understand a person

“Connection” can be counted as my hurtful weakness, always. For the first time ever, “Mortals and Angels” game was set up with the support of the whole members from V-team, for which, I think, played a role in connection both S-team and V-team. I even felt luckier when members which could connect quickly with S-team always looked back and support other members so that no one was left behind. This was the project which made me realize that to understand a person, it takes much effort from both side and “that is my personality” cannot be an excuse.

Feeling so appreciated for the moments that building team received cool lemon tea from housework team, I did. Feeling so appreciated for the moments housework team washed the bowls surrounded by mosquitos, a member quitely put the mosquito coil under the sink. That small actions did ease the hot days in Long Vinh.

And for unsung heroes…

This is the session for sending my thank to ECO VietNam Group members. Without the support of those unsung heros, this project cannot happened at the very beginning and each of us, both from V-team and S-team cannot have those valuable experience and grew so much through those short days.